It's such a memorable ad. It's like the dream of a child actually brought to life.<p>I've seen this story discussed around the internet over the last few days and found it interesting how younger generations seemed to only view it negatively (pollution, excess, etc). It's quite sad that something that seems like it could be universally enjoyed at the isn't now.
I was in San Francisco that week. Ecological issues aside, it was the last time San Francisco felt different in a good way rather than a bad one. The “negative energy” is now too much for me and, when I travel to the Bay Area, I pretty much just stay on-track. I wonder if people who lived in San Francisco from 1965-2005 expected it to last forever.
Honorable mention goes to the Old Spice 2010 ad, where a lot was done in camera too, including the horse.<p>The Man Your Man Could Smell Like: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE</a><p>Pitch presentation: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/britton-taylor-7829292a_for-you-ad-nerds-here-is-the-original-presentation-activity-6906732158384254976-aJ_S" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/posts/britton-taylor-7829292a_for-y...</a><p>Behind the scenes interview: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VDk9jjdiXJQ&t=11m40s" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VDk9jjdiXJQ&t=11m40s</a><p>It was a big success and a series of similar clips followed; this one has an actual “behind the scenes” video:<p>Scent vacation: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PJKAr1r5zlA" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PJKAr1r5zlA</a><p>Behind the scenes: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=32TZSXG2y7E" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=32TZSXG2y7E</a>
I lived in SF then and picked up a 5 gallon bucket of bouncy balls at a garage sale. I didn't realize until now that this is where they almost certainly came from.
The video in question:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spB4ezsQ6II" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spB4ezsQ6II</a>
A 2010 upload to Vimeo: <a href="https://vimeo.com/14504562" rel="nofollow">https://vimeo.com/14504562</a><p>Sony's 2005 website for the ad: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051124203345/http://www.bravia-advert.com/" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20051124203345/http://www.bravia...</a><p>Sony's 2005 behind-the-scenes page: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051028021817/http://www.bravia-advert.com/commercial/index.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20051028021817/http://www.bravia...</a><p>Fallon's (ad agency) materials: <a href="https://www.fallon.com/?s=Bravia" rel="nofollow">https://www.fallon.com/?s=Bravia</a><p>One of the making-of videos: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOpq2aD5btA" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOpq2aD5btA</a><p>A resident point of view: <a href="https://archive.org/details/BouncyBall" rel="nofollow">https://archive.org/details/BouncyBall</a>
Tango, a British fruit soda, made their own version in Swansea, Wales, which is delightfully funny:<p><a href="https://youtu.be/ac_g4opW-UI" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/ac_g4opW-UI</a>
While I also detest commercials as a whole, I think it is worth stepping back and viewing this as art. The concept, the visuals, the original song (not the one you find on most videos due to licensing)... it is beautiful and should evoke childhood joy and wonder. Yes it was wasteful, but if we only do things because they are efficient, I think our humanity suffers.<p>They made at least one more commercial [1] during the same time period and it was also inspired by awe and wonder. While it did waste paint and likely pollute the local groundwater temporarily, it was conducted in a building that was scheduled for demolition.<p>Paint<p>(1) <a href="https://youtu.be/GURvHJNmGrc?si=syS1ImP0Z2oM1btO" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/GURvHJNmGrc?si=syS1ImP0Z2oM1btO</a>
I hadn't thought about this in years. It was absolutely dazzling to see at the time, I can't imagine what it was like in person. In retrospect I would also probably chalk this up as the first truly "internet" moment.
This advertisement was the first time I ever saw an ad that made me think there could be something more to advertisement than being utterly soulless. It literally brings me to tears seeing it because of how beautiful the composition is and how well it works with the musical arrangement. There have been a few other ads throughout the years that are on a similar level, but they are few and far between. It's not just an effective advertisement, it's a cinematic masterpiece.
There was this too, for Sony's Bravia: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-68904040" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-68904040</a><p>"The day explosions of colour painted a Glasgow estate: In 2006, Sony set out to create 'Paint', widely regarded as one of the most technically complex adverts ever made..."
So many iconic adverts from the 2000s. One of my favourite is the Honda Cog: <a href="https://youtu.be/bl2U1p3fVRk?si=Z1Oqz8SAMjIAg7Mn" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/bl2U1p3fVRk?si=Z1Oqz8SAMjIAg7Mn</a>
The follow up ad was impressive, too. Although I'm not sure what why there's a clown in the middle of it.<p><a href="https://youtu.be/G5tLqb8T5xU" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/G5tLqb8T5xU</a>
> "There was not a single bouncy ball in any machine in America for a couple months. I felt so bad for the poor children," said Fuglsig.<p>I find it hard to believe that they really went around for months buying maybe 100 balls each from random dispensers until they had 250,000 - especially considering the design of the balls is mostly consistent in the end. Maybe a bit of fanciful storytelling?
It’s such a simple setup that you could make it in CGI in 2005 far cheaper than this. The balls barely affect the environment and the physics is really simple. I thought for 20 years that it was CGI because obviously ”who would do that cleanup?”. TIL. Really cool that they did this in real life.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU</a> in case anyone wants to see the ad<p>(I didn't follow all the links, but enough to know it wasn't immediately available)
Their "paint" advert wasn't bad either: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ut_2GWIm4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ut_2GWIm4</a> though it can't compete with the music.
First thing I thought of was the Balloonfest '86 fiasco.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloonfest_%2786" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloonfest_%2786</a>
4K remaster: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UXS6DBD6g0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UXS6DBD6g0</a><p>Looks to be from original sources rather than upscaled.
At the opposite end we have excess CG, like that iPad ad last year which everyone hated because it depicted real art tools being crushed into a digital substrate.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bx8bnCoiU</a><p>If you want to watch the ad. A couple of friends of mine lived in the city at the time and were watching as they filmed it. We all agreed that it was both amazing and insane all at the same time.
I had a Bravia 40BX425 (latam model) for several years. I bought it used and after many years I had to sell (needed the money). An astounding TV, much better than some of the new smart cr*p out there.
Here is the comparison with the cryengine2 version.
<a href="https://youtu.be/WCeuzVy9BgA" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/WCeuzVy9BgA</a>
related ad with exploding paint<p><a href="https://youtu.be/GdEtZK3CE2k?si=TtUn_VB8vBd7Eif5" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/GdEtZK3CE2k?si=TtUn_VB8vBd7Eif5</a><p>better quality<p><a href="https://youtu.be/G5tLqb8T5xU?si=hOTULgz71ilv2nS9" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/G5tLqb8T5xU?si=hOTULgz71ilv2nS9</a>